If it doesn't taste good, why eat it?

In my ongoing quest to discover recipes low in fat and high in protein, fiber and nutrients, I came across this one. While it’s not necessarily what I would term “soup weather” in New England right now, this really doesn’t heat up the kitchen all that much, and it’s packed with flavor. The yield on this recipe is such that Neil and I each had heaping bowls of soup for dinner and there was equally as much left over so I froze it (which will come in handy this weekend when I’m running around like a lunatic prepping food-stuffs to co-host a baby shower with my sister) so it will easily feed four.

Ingredients:

1 medium onion, minced

4 cloves garlic, chopped

2 TBS ancho chili powder

3 cups + 1 TBS chicken (or vegetable) broth

1 small zucchini, quartered and diced

1 cup chopped collard greens

1 15 oz can diced tomatoes

1 15 oz can black beans, rinsed

1 cup frozen yellow corn

1 4 oz can diced green chili

1 roasted red pepper

1 tsp dried Mexican oregano

1 tsp ground cumin

1/4 cup pepitas

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Heat 1 TBS broth in a medium soup pot. Sauté onion and garlic in broth over medium heat for about 5 minutes

Add red chili powder and mix to coat

Add broth, zucchini, collard greens, and tomatoes and cook for another 5 minutes

Add beans, corn, green chili, roasted red peppers, oregano, and cumin

Bring to a boil on high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes

Add chopped cilantro, pumpkin seeds, salt, and pepper

We decided to have a nice fresh green salad with our soup. It was a great combination because there was something cool to pop in our mouths when the heat of the soup got to be a bit much.

About the author

I buy fresh, local, organic ingredients and make our meals (and snacks) from scratch. Knowing what is in the foods that we eat is important to me because it's what our bodies are composed of. Your life literally depends on it.